Saturday: Tigers vs. Orioles
By Jason Beck
Get MLB.com/blogs’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
Odd seeing the O’s in Lakeland for a game, but a good odd. Never saw them around these parts when they trained all the way down in Fort Lauderdale. In fact, I think the last time we saw O’s third base coach Juan Samuel in Lakeland, he was trying to teach center field to Alex Sanchez. That was his last year as a Tiger in 2005. Now that the O’s have moved their spring base to Sarasota, one would expect this to be a regular matchup.
You’ll notice Austin Jackson isn’t in the starting lineup, but it’s a regular day off. Tigers had him working on his bunting on the practice fields this morning with Adam Everett and Gerald Laird. This session wasn’t about sac bunting so much as bunting for hits.
“You just try to give them another weapon,” manager Jim Leyland said. “And if anything, you try to get the third baseman on top of them [defending the bunt]. It’s an offensive weapon.”
None of those three guys are starting today, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Jackson enter later in the game.
TIGERS
- Thomas, CF
- Damon, LF
- Ordonez, RF
- Cabrera, 1B
- Guillen, DH
- Kelly, 3B
- Avila, C
- Sizemore, 2B
- Santiago, SS
P: Justin Verlander, Brad Thomas, Ryan Perry, Jose Valverde, Daniel Schlereth, Jay Sborz
ORIOLES
- Felix Pie, LF
- Robert Andino, 2B
- Nolan Reimold, DH
- Ty Wigginton, 3B
- Lou Montanez, RF
- Brandon Snyder, 1B
- Jeff Salazar, CF
- Michel Hernandez, C
- Blake Davis, SS
P: Kevin Millwood, Brandon Erbe, Matt Albers, Dennis Sarfate, Alberto Castillo, Cla Meredith
